Allergies, Depression And Celiac Disease

I'm aged 31 and male. Recently I have noticed that whenever I eat grains like wheat, my nose starts to runs and my eyes get itchy. Also I have been reading a good bit about depression and Celiac Disease, articles such as this:

Since I have bad swings were I go into a slump for about a week every month. I want to be tested for Celiac due to the reaction I get when eating wheat. I called my Doc and his nurse told me to go and see an allergy specialist. Is this good advice, or is there a simple blood test that I can have done? Can my Doc send this out to a lab? Also, I stopped eating Wheat today, as the nurse I spoke with advised going without to see if there was any change. If I will be tested is this ok?

I have had severe allergies all my life (trees, grass, ragweed),
and I had been getting shots most of my life. I noticed that I
craved wheat and thought I had a problem with it so we did
the scratch test which came back neg. At that time I started to
have problems with my eyes, itchy, burning, pain. The drops and
shots helped but never felt better. I guess my allergist got tired of
my complaints and one day he blew up and said "this project isn't
working"! I was so upset with him that I left and never went back.
Had I known then that there were blood tests for wheat allergy and
intolerances I could have been spared 3 years of hell. To make a long
story short, I developed severe GI symptoms, ended up seeing
a gastro doc and was diagnosed with Gluten Intolerance and started a gluten-free
diet about a year ago and my eye problems improved greatly. Hope this helps
and welcome to the board!

In my humble opinion I would see a GI doc not an allergist to get a celiac
panel done. If any of these test show up as positive. then proceed to
have the biopsy done before going gluten free.

You might have an allergy to grass. That is what I have, and it means no wheat, barley, rye, rice, or any grain that is a member of the grass family. Since I also have Celiacs, it meant restricting my diet further. If you go to an allergist, have a test done for wheat and grasses. The runny nose and itchy eyes are both indicative of allergy. Celiac will not normally cause these reactions. Try the skin test or the blood test for allergies first, then if you think you have the symptoms of Celiacs, have a doctor run a panel, or use Enterolab for a stool test. That would be the path I would chose. Wishing you the best!

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Dessa

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you." Numbers 6:24-25

4. Sounds like since I have only stopped eatinig wheat one day, the stool test should be accurate. But regarding the blood test, is a gluten-free diet for a few days prior OK? I've never been on a gluten-free diet in the past.

I was interested in your question because I'm wondering if my husband might have celiac disease. I was really sick this last year and found I have it but I was only marginally depressed. My husband has been on antidepressants for the last 3 years and can't find anything that keeps his moods consistently steady. Have any of you noticed depression before you were diagnosed?